Top 5 agency “no no’s” – No 1 – Marking up external costs

Marking up external costs when a client has the expectation that they are passed on at net.

While it may have been standard industry practice to mark up external costs as a 10% commission (or 11.1% mark up) this is no longer considered standard practice by most marketers and advertisers.

Many advertisers are surprised when they hear that their agency is adding a 10% “commssion” to their external costs. The tell tail sign in the estimate is a figure like $5,555, where $5,000 has been marked up 11.1% to create a 10% margin.

Many contracts have clauses that clearly state the expected practice is to pass costs on at net, in which case non-compliance is a breach of the contract.

Agencies need to also be careful that this clause can also mean that if an external cost is provided in a quote and the final supplier invoice is less than the original estimate, then the difference should be returned to the client, even if the agency practice is to bill to estimate only.

Author: Darren Woolley

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About Darren Woolley

Darren is considered a thought leader on all aspects of marketing management. A Problem Solver, Negotiator, Founder & Global CEO of TrinityP3 - Marketing Management Consultants, founding member of the Marketing FIRST Forum and Author. He is also a Past-Chair of the Australian Marketing Institute, Ex-Medical Scientist and Ex-Creative Director. And in his spare time he sleeps. Darren's Bio Here Email: darren@trinityp3.com

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